The Resurrection
by That Hedgie Over There
Summary: Fifty years after the infamous raid on the Space Colony ARK, Maria Robotnik has been cured, allowing her to finally visit Earth. Now it's a matter of tracking down Shadow for a happy reunion, right? Unfortunately, circumstances have changed, and she's in for a deadly surprise... Rating bumped to M because obvious blood.
1. The Visit

_I never finished my ongoing drama, Game Over, but I've decided to scrap it altogether. It's a shame considering it's easily the one fanfic I put the greatest amount of effort into, but as I developed Zenith, my primary character, over the years, the resulting bio just conflicted so much with the events in Game Over that I felt I needed to go in a different direction when it came to writing a drama starring one of my favorite Sonic characters. Not to mention I lost all the drafts long ago when I disappeared for too long. Consider Game Over finished._

* * *

"Where are we going?!"

He should know, he's dragging me there. I can barely keep up with him even with his grip on my dominant right hand crushing it, reducing it to recessive basically overnight.

It's my idea to begin with. Some goofy men with guns have paid us a visit. I have a bad sense that they're after the creature in front of me, a link in a long lineup of specimens who only exist because of me, brought into the world as I know it so that I may someday pay a visit of my own to that wondrous blue planet that frequently occupies my daydreams.

Otherwise known as Shadow the Hedgehog.

But I know they will do anything to win. I am a mere obstacle in the path ahead of them, literally. In their eyes, the creature and I are black and blue targets in sporting clays, whereas it seems to me that we're all running into a lake of fire. How fitting considering that I'm very quickly losing my breath already.

"Stop them! We can't let them get away!"

It doesn't take a booming voice from behind us, nor the sound of footsteps tailing me and the ebony hedgehog to understand that he and I are supposed to get away. I can tell that we are doing just that. Every second or so, Shadow and I gain an extra step ahead of what sounds like a trio or so of G.U.N. men. I haven't had the opportunity to actually look behind me to see who all is on our backs. All I can do is run, run, run.

I hear the screeching metal and come to my senses. The creature and I continue to hot-foot it straight through an entryway that leads us into... well, I don't know at first. I quickly peer into the room ahead of us, but I don't recognize anything I see, save for a few of the old experimental creatures, which include a specimen that very closely resembles Shadow, but slightly taller, covered in a pinch dullish red fur, sporting an admittedly tacky purple hairpiece. At least, I assume it's fake.

Then it hits me: oh, yeah.

"Stop right here!" I shout just as the black hedgehog and I both pass through the entryway, prompting the metal screeching noise to return, closing off the short gap between us and the men chasing us. I dart towards the computer and find a deep crimson button laced with the word "LOCK", printed in bold such that a young girl who has just nearly lost her senses can read it. I instinctively depress it.

My heart is racing by now.

"What are we doing in here?" presses the ebony hedgehog.

At first it's a question as good as any other. As soon as I lay my fuzzy eyesight on an escape capsule on the other end of the room, another quick sprint away, I remember why I asked him to lead me here.

"Get in the pod, Shadow."

The control center. The one room in the Space Colony ARK that commands every other, including the ARK as a whole. I've never been allowed in here, for obvious reasons. On this occasion, I have only one goal in mind: get Shadow to safety.

"Why?" is all I get in response.

Like when a woman's motherly instincts kick in, I give Shadow a rough nudge towards the pod.

"I don't have much time, Shadow, but you need to get to safety."

And as a little kid who knows he'll get in trouble if he disobeys his mother, the creature scuttles reluctantly as I guide him into the capsule.

Otherwise known as "because I said so".

I quickly wave the glass door in such a direction that it latches onto the escape pod, locking itself so that the door cannot be opened from the inside.

A single tear drips from my right eye.

"Let me out!"

I quickly locate another computer in the control room. This one is accompanied by a distinctive giant vertical lever that might resemble a joystick. Once I get in front of the lever, the unpleasant sound of metal collision returns. I pay no mind to whoever may be blocking the entrance that separates the large hallway from this off-limits area.

"Are you following me, camera guy?" I can imagine the goofy guy whispering if that now damaged entryway is really a confession booth.

Knowing what I must do, without really pondering if this is something I should be getting involved with, I place my left hand on the lever.

"Freeze!"

How convenient that I get the sense that I'm being aimed at the moment I start to hear an agitated, "official" voice.

"Take your hand off that lever."

"What are you doing, Maria?" I hear a far more familiar voice snap.

The combating voices go mute as if waiting for my next line. I feel like they should still be combating, but I am not about to complain about that.

"I wish I could go with you, Shadow, but I'm too frail..."

I have never used the word "frail" in a sentence before. But I've known my whole life that I'm a walking definition of it. My affliction certainly isn't helping that matter.

"Besides, you have a far greater purpose for the people on that planet."

I tighten my grasp, now having both hands on the lever.

"No, wait! Don't do this to me!"

"I'm not fooling around here!"

Without even batting an eye towards either voice, I beckon, "I'm afraid that's my final answer."

I'm only kidding. What I actually say is, "I'm afraid you'll have to take my place."

Another tear falls from my left eye as the seething anger on the creature's face strikes me.

"Sayonara, Shadow the Hedgehog..."

As if that is indeed my final answer, the lever conveniently goes down.

"MARIA!"

Immediately I'm inundated with a deafening swarm of noise all over, coming from nowhere or so it seems, drowning out the two previous voices. I glance towards the escape capsule, ebony hedgehog inside, to see that it has been released. It hasn't.

Shit. This is going to mentally disturb him.

On the other end, the goofy man, clearly irate that he didn't get to do his job, takes out his frustration by firing a point blank shot at the camera guy. Of course, that's how you would see it. A security camera caught the ugly mess that followed, but I'm sure someone has destroyed the tape by now.

I feel a sharp blow to my left side, as an archery arrow piercing me, the target, missing the bullseye by a hair. My vision becomes clouded in blood red. My legs go completely numb, and I fall to the frosty metallic floor. I can hardly feel the blood spilling, as I'm very quickly falling out of my senses once again, coupled with a burning desire to rest from all that running.

I think of everything I've said to Shadow in the last thirty seconds. About how we always wished to visit the planet someday. About his true purpose for being here. About taking my place in the future. Then I think about how he might use my imminent death as grounds for revenge. He always seemed to have that demeanor written over his face. This thought gives me chills, as if I'm not already chilled enough from the metallic floor on which I lie.

I use the little arm strength I have left to pry my upper body up, giving me one last chance to look up. To my bewilderment, I find that the capsule is still here, the ebony hedgehog now staring me with an expression on his face one might describe as nothing short of horrified.

"Shadow, I need your help..."

Maybe I'm already dead, and I'm just giving out a message from beyond.

"Everyone's fate depends on... you."

My arms give out, and I plant my face on the metallic floor. The numbness by now has extended to my face such that I don't feel the blow even there.

Only then is Shadow's pod released. I don't hear him call out my name once more. I've never seen him cry, and thus I find it hard to picture him in such an emotional state. I have to think he is indeed bawling his eyes out. I would be as well, but I'm sure it'll all be over soon. I'll be able to watch over him like I always said I would, maybe stay with him in his heart. This thought makes me smile, still in a sad way.

I must be all alone. The ebony hedgehog, safely headed for the blue planet. The man who shot me, nowhere to be heard from. The clanking of metal, gone mute. All I have to listen to now is the strange, possibly toxic liquid flowing through the remaining experimental creatures, all in a comatose state. I wonder if they can hear me. Maybe one will awaken from his stasis and rush me to a doctor. Or, since I'm already dead tired, I can stay here and wait for the end to find me.

I close my eyes and rest.


	2. Falling Into Place

My dreams are becoming more and more vivid by the night.

I have always dreamed of scenes wherein I am relaxing on a lush plain under a big tree, Shadow standing nearby, clearly enjoying himself. No distractions in the distance. No one else to bug us. Just me and my favorite hedgehog, doing whatever we are up for. I can tell he's developed a fancy for me, as he seems happier when he's in my presense. Maybe I'm the only one who's ever really gotten to know him, or whom he's ever really gotten to know. I've seen him engage in lengthy conversations with my grandfather, but I can tell it doesn't quite give him the same vibe, and I think I can see why.

This dream is peculiarly different. Instead of me playing with Shadow, or my grandfather getting involved in making another experiment, I am visited by this angel hedgehog girl, long gold hair, a peach-flavored muzzle, a coat of fur that matches the hair, and — what is she wearing?! I quickly glance back and forth between this hedgehog and myself, hands, shirt, everything. This is me, I say more or less to myself. I know this, somehow. But why? I've never seen her before. Maybe one of us will be Shadow's guardian angel, and the other will stay in his heart. Or maybe I will assume her form as I watch over him. No, that's kinda silly. Although, now I wonder what being a hedgehog would be like.

"You are never alone," is all she says. "Everything falls into place."

Never forget that.

I slowly drift back into consciousness, the throbbing in my head interrupting the dream. I hear a flurry of commotion, some of which presumably having to do with me. Maybe I'll recognize some of the voices if I listen in. For the moment, my vision is completely blurry. My body is paralyzed from the neck down, so naturally I can no longer feel the pool of blood, but I can smell it from all over, giving me the implication that it has spread across the floor, all over my numb body, staining my favorite outfit.

"Am I dead?" I wonder. Maybe I'm really a zombie.

A slew of very surprised voices, then a swarm of clankering footsteps rushes towards me. Only then do I realize that I've said this out loud.

As I focus my still clouded eyesight, I find that I'm still actually staring directly into that frosty metal surface. Questions suddenly bombard my thought process. But that doesn't make sense, you don't leave an almost dead body to freeze on the metallic surface of a floor in space. It's not like I can get up and seek medical attention anyway, so how can no one think I'm still here? I grow increasingly concerned for my own sake. Why did this happen to me?

"What's going on?" I inquire. "How long have I been here?"

I am lifted up by a set of hands, snapping me fully into reality, and yet the forces holding me up remind me of Shadow, of all the occasions where we would observe the blue planet for extended periods of time in a special room that gave us the closest view (not that it matters, of course), and he would snuggle to me for comfort, and I would pull him close to me and kiss him lightly. "It's my way of showing affection for you," I would say, recalling the first kiss I gave him.

"Careful guys, she can't stand up straight," I hear one voice say.

"Jason, pull a chair up for her."

By now I'm welling up with tears. Not to mention I'm trying my darnedest to keep my head in place. Surely it won't be a pretty sight if it falls off, but so far, it hasn't.

As I am dragged backwards across the floor, I observe my lower body for a moment, actually dragging in front of me on the metal surface, my shoes making skid marks that mock me and any thought I may have that I'm floating.

When I look straight forward, the lever is the first thing that strikes my attention, so now I know I'm indeed still in the control center. Good, the blurriness in my vision is lightening up. Now, what am I still doing here? I don't think about turning my view towards either direction, even to find out where these people think about setting me down. Besides, before I can begin that thought, I feel a sudden, miniscule drop, then a jolt forward, causing my head to tilt in that direction. Whoa, easy does it with the working head on the numb body.

"That was scary," I remark once I know that I'm no longer moving.

"No doubt about that," one voice says before he reveals his presence. He has the look of a humanoid fox with a fresh coat of reddish-orange fur, making it awkward that I've used the word "person" to refer to him, as I've never said that about Shadow. No wonder he reminded me of the Ultimate Lifeform. Then again, I've never used the word "creature" to refer to anyone who isn't an experiment on the ARK. Unless this fox is also an experiment, but I doubt it.

"Our apologies for taking so long to get to you," he starts. I figure he and his presumed colleagues — which include a jade green-furred fellow whose quills really resemble those of Shadow, a pink-furred anthropomorphic cat, and a guy named Jason, all of them in pearly white lab coats — have never been on the ARK, and I don't blame them. "We should probably bring you up to date on what's going on." That would be nice, thanks.

The fox pretends to brush something off his lab coat, as I don't see any sort of stain on it. "They want everyone to evacuate this place, since it's too dangerous and we have no business here anymore."

"Who's they?" I interrupt.

"Uh, G.U.N." The men that were just here. I should have figured. "They were here last night at, if we're talking time zone conversions, I'd say eight in the evening." I observe a digital time clock that reads in a bold, red, digitalized font: 9:41 am. "They went to shut down Project Shadow, but the creature escaped in a capsule headed to Earth." I wonder if they know me from someplace. "So everyone went back home, and we're collecting the things we don't need here."

I become suspicious as I notice that a tall fellow is attempting to dislodge an experimental pod containing one of my grandfather's creations. "Who are you... folks?"

"We're the Professor's interns," replies the fox in a prompt manner. "I'm Lysander the Fox. The green one is Adrian the Hedgehog. The pink one is Tamora the Cat. And Jason is our own human intern." Luckily these guys are all conveniently in my view, eliminating the need for any more head-tilting shenanigans. I am amused at the thought of a human intern to a trio of humanoid animals who are also interns. "And what business do you have for being here, if I may likewise ask?"

"I'm Maria..." I take a much-needed deep breath. "I'm the Professor's granddaughter. And... I sent Shadow to Earth."

I will say anything to see to it that we're all on the same page.

"Interesting." The fox, whom I presume to be the leader of this bunch, is now pacing in front of me, as if giving a speech. "Well as I'm sure you know, G.U.N. ordered the Professor to get rid of all of his experiments since they threaten the well-being of everyone on the planet. He didn't, so we're doing it on his behalf."

"Of course he wouldn't. They're not harming anyone."

"No one really knows that." Implying that I don't?

"Where is my grandfather, anyway?" I inquire.

The fox sighs. "I'm afraid the Professor is... no longer with us."

I know exactly what he means by this, but I'm nonetheless puzzled.

"They had to execute him after he went berserk," he pauses as my tears start flying like saucers, "because he'd thought you were dead yourself."

I am quietly sobbing, having lost most of my composure by now. The cat sticks some tissue paper in my face, holding it in place such that she can keep my head still in the very likely event that I should lean towards the tissue to cry.

"I'm so sorry, grandfather..." I muffle this into the tissue.

I continue like this for a good minute, then lean back, after which the cat takes the tissue for disposal.

"Thank you, Tamora."

She looks towards me and simply nods.

"As I was saying," the fox starts again, "we can't stick around for long..."

I am fixing my focus on Jason, who is still unscrewing the experimental pods from the walls. I hope they'll keep the creatures safe. They might be useful somewhere.

"Now we're going to keep them in our lab and fine-tune them ourselves." Sweet. I think.

"Hey Lysander!" I hear Jason shout from the other end of the room. "Is this the creature you were talking about?"

The fox turns around and almost immediately gives the "thumbs-up". "Yeah, we'll get to that one soon. Don't worry."

But worry I do, as I notice this creature, the only one remaining in the room, is the scarlet-furred experimental hedgehog, which I have never seen outside of his pod for reasons unknown. Admittedly, as far as I know, he's never been given a name.

"What do you plan to do with him?" I press.

The fox turns back towards me and lays it on me. "Well since he's so unstable physically, we thought it was best to kill him... put him out of his misery."

"No..." I shake my head lightly. "You can't do that."

"We've got no choice, Maria."

I'm suddenly frantic. "You're taking all the creatures back to your lab. Why can't you take him with you?"

The fox folds his arms. "He would never survive on Earth..."

I am hit hard by this remark. "You don't know that!"

"And if we leave him here, then G.U.N.'s forces will surely find him and get him first, then go after us for not cleaning the place out." You mean they're coming back?!

"Please, just spare him." Another single tear drips from my right eye. "I never got to meet him... and since he's already been brought here, I think he should get a chance to live. He never did anything wrong, anyway, but please, don't kill him!"

The fox unfolds his arms, relegating them to hang loose on either side of him. "Where will we leave him that's not in plain view?"

"Right next to the cannon."

He snaps his fingers. "You're right. No one would ever think of looking in there." Hence why I mentioned it.

"You know how to reach the cannon, right?"

"Of course I do." The fox nods. "The only thing is that all the security clearances are down now that no one's using the ARK anymore, but yeah, no one will be using the cannon."

He turns around for a moment. "Jason! You're strong enough to lift that pod on your own, right?"

"Yes, sir!" He immediately does so. Wow, he's stronger than he looks.

"Splendid. Leave him near the cannon and wait for us. We'll meet you down there."

"I'm on it." He exits quickly, but slow enough that he maintains control of the capsule. I smile a little.

"We'll have to cryogenically freeze him," the fox continues. "That'll give him the best chance of survival until we can treat his... instability." I nod lightly. "In the meantime, you've got to come with us down to Earth."

"I'd love to go, but I can't..."

"You have to," he repeats shortly.

"You don't understand," I beckon as firmly as I can without shouting, "I'd never survive on Earth. I've got an incurable infection that weakens my immune system, so I have to stay on the ARK." Why does he think my grandfather was so interested in his experiments?

The fox grasps my left hand and holds onto it. "Whoa," as if noticing that I still can't feel these things. "Honey, it's too dangerous. Besides, we have no other options for you. We..."

"Lysander, chill." The green hedgehog steps in between me and the now puzzled fox. "There is another option..."

"What are you talking about, Adrian?"

"Well..." The hedgehog takes a deep breath. "It's kind of a last resort, but just hear me out."

I am very interested in what he has to say for some reason. However, the three humanoid mad scientists sort of huddle up to discuss... some things. A small group meeting soon turns into a press conference, and I find myself drifting off into my thought process as if almost falling asleep again. I recall the only time I've ever really interacted with the red hedgehog creature, before Shadow came along. When he would gaze at me from within his pod, he seemed to be in anguish himself. I never understood why this was until recently, actually. In any case, it pained me inside to see him in his unstable condition, and so I avoided eye contact with him ever since.

The group breaks up their huddle. Adrian speaks first, as expected.

"It's a last resort, as I said. Now, come with us." I am puzzled for a split second. "Oh, right. Sorry. You guys know what to do," he snaps, addressing his colleagues. He gives them the "chop-chop" and soon enough I am lifted off my seat. Now I'm really floating.

I don't keep track of where I'm going, with my point of view locked towards the desolate, barely touched ceilings. Meanwhile the alleged emptiness of the halls within the ARK certainly tells. I'm still mostly anxious to know what they plan to do with me, but a part of me tells me to just go with it.

I wonder if Shadow has landed yet, knowing he'll have to find his way around the planet once he does. But I'm sure he will, he's Shadow the Hedgehog.

"This is your stop, Maria," states the feline intern.

They flip me over just enough that I can get a straight view of where I am.

"My room..."

It may be just any given room, only with a twin-size bed in a corner, a dresser across from the bed, and drawings all over the walls, the ceiling, wherever Shadow could help me reach. Virtually identical to how I remember it minutes before they showed up.

The hedgehog intern points me to another capsule, in front of the center of the furthest wall from the entrance to this room. I remember one of my grandfather's creatures would reside there for my viewing pleasure, but now the capsule is empty.

"We've rewired this pod, so that we can operate on it from back in our lab. For now, we need you to get in this pod," Adrian explains. Now, where have I heard that before...

As they lead me towards the capsule, Tamora continues, "A glowing green liquid is going to fill it to the brim, but you won't feel a thing."

"But..." I stare down at the wound on my left side that remains unplugged, "what about my...?"

"Don't worry about it," Lysander replies in a reassuring tone. "It'll fix itself in due time."

The interns flip me a full 180 degrees so that I'm facing them instead of the capsule, giving me one last real view around my room, before I am finally directed into the capsule. As they let go of me, I find that I'm barely touching the base of the capsule, in no danger of falling. The fox forces a lengthy, tubular syringe into my right side, although again, I don't feel it. I have been breathing rather heavily through the process of getting me into the capsule, but soon after the tube goes in me, I can breathe normally.

"Good luck!" the hedgehog exclaims before latching the door closed, encasing me in... my capsule.

I simply nod in acknowledgment.

As Lysander flips a switch near the entrance to my room, all sources of bright light within the room flicker off, and after a few seconds, the indeed glowing green liquid appears from a pair of jet streams near the base of the capsule. Higher and higher the liquid rises, until there's enough liquid to illuminate the humanoid interns, and presumably my whole, nearly lifeless body, bullet hole included. All three give me the "thumbs-up". The liquid reaching over my shoulders, tickling my neck, I nod again.

I'm actually floating.

Dear Shadow, I'm in a faraway place right now. But I'm ok, because I'm sure we'll meet again someday...

As the liquid fills up over my head, I breathe out for the last time, to be taken over by the liquid's relaxing effect.

I have become the experiment.


	3. Redaction

"Everything falls..."

This is the first thing I hear. The voice in question resembles something I've heard before, but where it's coming from is beyond me. I wait for the voice to tell me something else, but nothing.

I feel a force gradually pull me down towards... something. At the same time, a peeling sensation strikes my entire body, but all I hear is a constant stream of wooshes. Wherever I am, I must've been indeed floating.

Pure sleep at its finest.

Only when I find that I'm actually breathing again is my comatose state interrupted, breaking a deathly stillness that in retrospect seems to have lasted ages, but the refreshed sense I get from taking my first breath tells me otherwise. The surface on which I lie is not nearly as cold as I remember, possibly from the now drained, glowing liquid covering it all this time, its warm, gentle touch contrasting sharply from... well, you get it.

I flutter my eyes open, slowly at first, in case my room is brightly lit. The remaining liquid that hasn't gone through the drain is all I notice at first. The further I ease my eyes open, I notice that I can see everything in my pod, albeit dimly, although no bright light sources are on. Maybe my eyes have been dilated such that if the lights did flicker on, it would blind me. I wait around a while to see if they fully illuminate the room on their own. They don't.

Both of my hands are firmly planted on the ground. I slowly lift my left hand towards me and analyze it, flexing each digit individually, then lightly wave my hand near the still latched door in front of me. The door remains intact, because I really hoped to have received psychokinetic powers, or something along those lines, something Shadow and I would fantasize about at times. I feel my left side, but where I expect to come in contact with a mess of bodily fluids, maybe a pinching effect on my rib, or even the hole that bullet made in my body, all I feel is the dress that I'm still wearing, perhaps the whole time that I've been in the capsule. Immediately understanding this to mean that I'm healed, I prop myself up so that I'm "standing", more like kneeling on both of my knees. I am almost thrown off balance by my feet, which seem awfully large from what I remember. Then I feel my right side, where my oxygen tube should be, but the syringe has already been removed. Maybe it came off by itself after the liquid drained. Talk about a smart pod.

I motion my right leg forward and plant it on the ground in front of me, which I use to push myself up so that I'm standing on both feet. I would be concerned over how to get the door open, as I figure I might need room to fall in case I've lost my ability to walk, not to mention an unpleasant scent is filling within the capsule, except the door unlatches by itself and gives way right after I've stood up. This is really strange; I don't remember any door being able to do that. I instinctively reach my left hand up to my hair to scratch it, what with the prospect of technological advances leaving me puzzled. Before I can reach my hair, however, something atop my noggin twitches in reaction to my hand touching it. I pull my hand away instinctively and observe it again, repeatedly clenching it into a fist. I try to feel my hair again, even more puzzled by whatever is twitching where my hair should be. Eventually I grab ahold of it, rubbing it in between my thumb and index finger. This is getting stranger by the minute, and yet as soon as I figure out what it is, I've put two and two together. No wonder I feel so different — I'm now more than an experiment.

"This is fine," I say out loud. Even that sounds strangely unfamiliar.

Suddenly a set of bright lights illuminate the room, as if controlled by the sound of my voice, or any voice, for that matter. The lights are indeed blinding me at first, but my vision quickly adapts so that I can clearly gaze around... my room?

The room is desolate, for the most part. The walls are virtually spotless. All I can see across from the entrance is an office desk with one of those bulky television monitors. Then I find a keyboard attached to it and almost instantly recognize it as a computer, not a television. They must be getting smaller, another clue leading to just how long I've been here. Technology, I mutter to myself. Someone must've been in here and cleaned the place out. More questions pique my interest. Was it indeed a G.U.N. agent? Did he think I was dead? Was I ever dead? What form was I in when he showed up? And why did he clean the place out? I start to feel very uneasy, memories of my time on the ARK having been wiped out, nowhere to be seen, almost as if I've never been here. I figure I can't dwell here forever, not that I've ever wanted to, of course, so just to be sure, owing to the obvious lack of mirrors in view, I glance over to my left, to the nearest wall, its metallic surface serving as a makeshift mirror. I am almost taken aback by what I see — the reflection depicts a female hedgehog, exactly as I've seen in my dreams, the golden hair practically glowing, the blue and white dress matching the last outfit I wore, free of bloodstains of course, and those unusually big, matching shoes. Curiously, the reflection suggests that I don an equally ginormous gauntlet on my right hand, but not my left. I analyze that hand quickly, and sure enough, the glove is there, and it's on tight. No big deal, I'm sure.

Then it hits me. No wonder she didn't appear in my latest dream. She is me. I am her.

Konnichiwa... Maria the Hedgehog.

I trot towards the desk holding the computer in place, but I find it's so high up that I'm only tall enough to reach the keyboard whilst standing, so I shove the bar chair aside, a mere obstacle between me and figuring out where to go from here. The screen on the monitor is blank, but a tiny amber dot glows just below the screen. I cautiously depress one of the bigger keys on the module, labeled "Enter". Suddenly the screen flashes on as hoped and displays a set of icons that I've definitely seen before, which are probably standard for every computer. I move the cursor to an icon labeled "How To" and click on it. A folder opens, taking over the screen for the time being, that indeed contains how-to notes on teleportation, libraries, recreation, more computers, and how to locate my other gauntlet. Good thinking, if I say so myself. Oh, and why I'm a hedgehog. Smart, very smart.

This is getting to be a very nice read. Apparently the bullet lodged into my ribcage, missing my lung by a hair. Now I wonder how close I was to bleeding to death, or if I was even thinking straight when I went into all this, because I don't recall much of what I said to those humanoid interns. All the while, my grandfather's studies indicate that my illness was strong enough to disrupt a transfusion of Shadow's DNA, which I remember to be laced with that of some creepy alien race. Their names are beyond my memory, and I haven't come across it at all while reading these notes, which makes me want to believe that I myself don't have any of that alien DNA in me; I doubt I can handle it.

Wait a second. My illness. I quickly glance down on my body again, coming to the realization of what that fully entails — no more NIDS.

I'm cured.

This is what my grandfather always wanted. No, that's an understatement.

I estimate that an hour has passed once I've read everything and also located my left glove as well as a curious silver-colored emerald that fits uncomfortably in my hand. I've glanced at the gem numerous times before coming to the conclusion that I've probably seen this before. I slowly trot away from the computer desk, towards the open doorway that leads to the rest of the ARK. I have to see what all is different.

I can hear my own footsteps as I walk through the eerie, yet strangely familiar hallways, wide enough and clear of obstacles such that I would frequently footrace against Shadow from any given point in the ARK to my room, of course barring any traffic caused whenever one of my grandfather's staff would lug around stuff for his experiments. At the same time, because there is so much room around me, I can imagine someone or something popping out of nowhere in front of me, as if I need a heart attack. But from what I read earlier, I'm the only one here. And, from the all too familiar emptiness I'm observing, I probably shouldn't be here anymore.

I hold out the silver gem in front of me, eyeing it cautiously. Not knowing what to expect, I close my eyes and concentrate on a mental image, provided to me from that information binge on my computer, of a municipal garden in... some unnamed town. I can hear a sporadic sparkling noise, growing louder the further I concentrate.

"Chaos Control!"

I feel a lingering shot of energy that I've never felt before, but no other indication that I've warped space. About a second after I've spoken, I open my eyes yet again and am immediately startled not by the sudden change of surroundings, but rather that my first use of Chaos Control was a success. Silly me for not testing it first. I hide the emerald within my dress, probably to never use it again.

Figuratively coming to my senses, I glance towards every imaginable direction, swarmed by the strange ambient noise, more refreshed than ever from breathing this real air. Talk about open world. A prominent sign not far into the distance reads, "Welcome to Station Square".

It's so beautiful.

Fueled by one of those urges, I run as fast as I can down a sidewalk — or at least, trip and faceplant onto it because I am caught off guard by just how fast I was going. I get back on my feet just as quickly, half relieved that no one saw that. I try it again, this time doing a short dash, maybe three or five feet, before trotting back. And again. And a third time. Then I dash a little further. And further. No one's watching me still, and further.

"You practicing for a race, I see?" I hear a lively male voice shout from behind me.

"Not really," I say more or less in response.

"Well, your speed is really something, if I say so myself."

He is suddenly in front of me now, a hedgehog of a slightly taller stature, his fur a striking cobalt hue. I subsequently stop in my tracks now that he's got my attention, though I have nothing much to say. After a few awkward seconds of waiting for either of us to break the silence, interrupted by a quiet sigh, he speaks again.

"Hmm. Well, I suppose I should introduce myself," the tone of his voice getting livelier. "I'm Sonic... Sonic the Hedgehog." He places his left hand on the corresponding side of his body. "And you are...?"

I tell him in the same manner.

"Well then." He puts his other arm around my shoulders. "I think you might like to meet my pal? He's not too far down the walkway."

I nod. "Sure, that would be nice."

"Great! Follow me."

"Wait, Sonic..." I call out to the blue hedgehog as it looks like he's going to speed away. "Don't you want to walk around a while?"

"And let our speed go to waste?" He stops for a moment, then continues amid my continually puzzled face. "I'd really love to, because this place is pretty cool to look at. Maybe later, is that cool?" I nod lightly. "Besides, you could use a fast jog. Gets the energy flowing, you know." I shrug again.

He starts to run very fast, and I tag behind him. The next thing I know, we're in a compact warehouse filled to the brim with... gadgety things.

"Hey Sonic!" someone shouts in the midst of this hardware-filled mess.

Sonic looks over to this fellow, a young fox in bright-orange fur and, curiously, a pair of tails. The fox looks masculine, but the voice suggests otherwise. He waves in the fox's direction. "Tails! Long time no see! What'cha working on now?"

Evidently it's something. It's like he's speaking a different language.

"So! Who did you bring with you?" he finally inquires, presumably to me. I tell him my name.

"My name's Miles Prower. Uh, but you can call me Tails." I smile a little. It may seem like a silly name, but in his case, it's very appropriate. Just as long as he wants me to use that name, anyway.

Neither of the boys have asked me to tell them more about myself. I hope it stays that way for a while.

"Whoa!" Tails interjects. "The Space Colony ARK just blew up?!"

"What?!" is all I can say.

"Hang on a minute," Sonic interrupts as the expressions on all our faces, mine especially, go uh-oh. "What is that?"

The fox pulls out a tablet and reads from it: "Operated by the government up until fifty years ago, the infamous interstellar research lab was used primarily for scientific testing and experimentation."

"Hmm, never heard of it."

The fox reads on: "Immediate investigations have identified a possible suspect to be charged for causing the explosion."

"Was it Eggman?"

"Most likely." He keeps reading, but by now I've heard enough.

I immediately rush out of the warehouse to decompress, unknowingly flailing blatantly. I lean against the wall on the front of the place and sit alone, my mind racing a hundred miles per hour. Or, meters per minute.

After a while I hear footsteps from out of the warehouse, stopping in their tracks right in front of me.

"Are you alright, Maria?" It's Sonic. "What's going on?"

I don't say anything. He places a hand on my shoulder again, and I finally glance up towards him hopelessly, a single tear dripping from my left eye.

"Where do I go from here?"


End file.
